Color

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Color is regarded as the most important characteristic of a gemstone. When examining color, consider the three main criteria: hue, tone and saturation.

Hue

Hue represents the gradation or variety of a color and determines a gemstone’s value. Some shades are rarer and more valuable than others. Top quality gemstones display only slight hues of other colors that have a minimal impact on the purity of their original color. For example, sapphires can exhibit varying degrees of greenish or purplish tint in addition to their primary blue color; rubies can have some degree of orange or purplish tint that will alter their pure red hue.

Tone

Tone represents the intensity of color, from clear to black. Gemstone tone can range from light, through medium-light, medium and medium-dark, to dark. Gemstones within the medium tone spectrum are considered the most valuable.

Saturation

Saturation designates the purity and vibrancy of color, which can be affected by brown or grey hues. Top quality gemstones have excellent, strong color saturation, with little brown or grey. However, color saturation info will not be listed in our product description, because our gemstones are individually selected for their vibrant colors.